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37 VC Students Tour Washington

A total of 37 Valley City seventh and eighth-graders and parents went on this year’s Washington, D.C. Tour, May 29 through June 1, said Mike Watterson, program director for the past 20 years.

Other leaders on the tour were course leader Alex Mathews of World Strides,” and bus driver Todd Walls of the James River Bus Co.
Those on the tour stayed at the Radisson Hotel in Largo, Md.
Watterson said the tour was arranged through World Strides Tours of Charlottesville, Va.

All 37 left Fargo at 5:15 a.m. Tuesday, May 29, on a Delta plane that went from Fargo to Minneapolis to an airport in Washington.

While in Washington, Watterson said, those on the tour visited The White House for a picture stop; Mount Vernon; Alexandria (Old Town - drive through town); Einstein’s Statue, Holocaust Museum (Children’s tile wall and main exhibit), Vietnam Memorial; Vietnam Women’s Memorial; Korean Memorial; Arlington National Cemetery; Kennedy Grave sites – JFK, Bobby and Edward, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, changing of the militaryguard Watterson said it was “very precise and honorable.”

Watterson said, “The students were North Dakota and Valley City’s ambassadors. Everyone we dealt with mentioned how pleasant and polite they were. They were very accepting of the fast pace and long walks. They were respectful when needed and asked a multitude of questions of our guide. I was very proud of them.”

This year marks the end of an era for the trips. “This is the 20th trip that I have led to Washington, D.C. and it will be my last,” Said Watterson. “I’ve decided that after 20 years, it was time to see if someone else was interested in taking on the adventure. Angela Van Bruggen, a social studies and math teacher in the Valley City School System, has agreed to lead the trip in 2013. I hope that the trip continues to be a source of education for Valley City’s children well into the future.”

Remembrances:

This is the 20th annual DC trip that Watterson has directed.

The total number of students that have toured DC with Watterson over 20 years is 474, along with 39 parents.